Published: October 8, 2001

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On Wednesday, Exit Art, at 548 Broadway, between Prince and Spring Streets, was completely empty. The only signs of life, besides the staff, were three large photographs of women's lips, by Sandra Bermudez, titled ''I Want You, I Miss You, I Need You.'' In one gallery a video monitor played a piece called ''Freestyle'' by Patrick Martinez, with scenes of planes taking off and nose-diving.

''The first Saturday after the attack we were packed with people who came over to me with tears in their eyes and said thank you for being open,'' said Jeanette Ingberman, one of Exit Art's co-founders. ''I think right after, people wanted to show some kind of support.'' Now, she said, ''it's dropped -- a lot.''

Below Canal Street, closer to the World Trade Center, the decline was especially severe. Approximately eight museums are there, some operating on small margins. There are also visitors centers at various institutions. Access to the area has been difficult, if not impossible at times. Limited subway service has resumed, and most museums are now accessible.

''Volunteers and staff are fearful of coming downtown,'' said Brian Thompson, director of the Museum of Financial History at 26 Broadway, near Bowling Green. ''Now they are threatened by environmental conditions.''

Most museums below Canal Street have reopened.

The George Gustav Heye Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, at Bowling Green, where soldiers were bivouacked in the lobby until last week, has reopened two galleries. ''The first day we had about 160 people,'' said John Haworth, the director. ''Usually we have many more -- 1,000 to 2,000 is a typical day.''

Mr. Haworth said he did not know when other galleries would open. ''We want to make sure the building is properly cleaned and the air filters,'' he said. ''We are looking at our security procedures to make sure the public feels safe coming to our space.''

The Museum of Jewish Heritage, in Battery Park City, reopened on Friday. A spokeswoman said the museum was always conscious of security but would not comment on it.

One block south of Canal Street at 79 Walker Street, the offices of Art in General, a nonprofit gallery and educational center for alternative art, closed after the attacks and reopened on Sept. 22. ''It's been a huge hardship,'' said Holly Block, the executive director of Art in General, which has a staff of 13, eight of them full time.

''We have definitely lost revenues,'' Ms. Block said. ''We have a major benefit coming up in November,'' in a banquet hall in Chinatown. ''We are afraid people won't come.'' In addition, said Ms. Block, ''I anticipate a loss of 25 percent from fund-raising, from individuals. They are giving money to other places, to the relief effort.''

Still, said Ms. Block, Art in General plans to go ahead with its exhibit of artists influenced by the Fluxus movement, and the first of a two-part installation of public art along Canal Street. The first part opens on Tuesday. The second is scheduled to begin in March.

''If we can't raise the money we won't be able to do the program in the spring,'' she said. ''After cutting the program, we would have to cut the staff.''

To try to regain their audiences, museums are planning special programs. The Met, the Modern and the Museum of Natural History are considering joint advertising campaigns, cross-promotions and package tours.

The Met has been holding concerts (free with museum admission), ''Sounds of Solace,'' daily (except Mondays) at noon in the Great Hall. There have also been poetry readings daily at 2 p.m., in the American Wing.

The Modern is changing its advertising to focus on a local audience, said Mr. Lowry. In promoting its Giacometti centennial exhibition, which opens on Thursday, Mr. Lowry said, ''we've shifted our marketing initiative away from a lot of publications and ads targeted at foreign visitors.''

''We are now going to shift to The Village Voice, Newsday, The Daily News and so on,'' Mr. Lowry said, ''and community-based papers in Lower Manhattan and Queens.'' The museum will also buy more radio spots.

The Museum of Natural History is planning an open house on Saturday, with cultural programming for all ages. Together with the Council on Foreign Relations it is scheduled to hold ''The World at Ground Zero: Repercussions of 9/11,'' with Tom Brokaw as host, and panelists to include Richard Holbrooke, former United States ambassador to the United Nations, on Oct. 25.

Downtown, businesses and cultural institutions are banding together to seek a tax-free zone that would encourage visitors. Exit Art is planning a regular Friday night multimedia performance program, with free food, starting in about two weeks.

At the Museum for African Art, at 593 Broadway in SoHo, the show ''Bamana: The Art of Existence in Mali,'' opened on Sept. 19, six days late. ''It has a strong spiritual component to it,'' said Anne Stark, deputy director of the museum. ''In Africa art and healing go together, and particularly in this show there is a strong connection between individual and community wellness.''

For its first week the show was free because of the disaster. Now, ''we are looking for a corporate sponsor to help us underwrite free admission for this exhibition till March 3,'' said Ms. Stark. ''If they were to come through the doors they would find it serene and nurturing.''

Photo: Sharing a solitary moment with Tyrannosaurus rex at the American Museum of Natural History, normally one of the most popular tourist destinations. (Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)